|
Campus groups protest sexual assault |
|
|
|
Thursday, 06 April 2006 |
 | Jeyhoun Allebaugh
Jaime Duggan leads a chant at the “Take Back the Night” march against
sexual assault Tuesday. The march started at Duck pond field,
continued down King Street and back to I.G. Greer Auditorium. |
by JULIA HARR
Intern News Reporter
One in five women in North Carolina has experienced some form of sexual
assault according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Throughout the month, various
Appalachian State University organizations sponsor events to promote
sexual assault awareness.
The campus chapter of the National Organization for Women, Appalachian
Parents Association, NARAL, OASIS and the ASU Women’s Center sponsored
“Take Back the Night,” a march in protest of sexual assault, Tuesday.
“The whole idea is that people can voice their opinions and share their
stories,” said Dr. Eva M. Hyatt, the faculty advisor to NOW. “This is
not a silent march because this is not an issue to be silent about.”
About 40 male and female supporters gathered at Duck Pond Field Tuesday evening for a vocal, expressive march and rally.
This protest started in the 1970s on the west coast for women who had experiences with sexual assault.
“This march gives people a chance to speak out against sexual
violence,” said Melissa Gee, the assistant director of OASIS. “It gives
people a chance to find others like themselves and avoid that feeling
of being alone.”
The march is to serve as a counterpart for “Walk for Awareness,” which
is a silent commemorative walk for victims of rape, said Ali A. Drake,
the vice president of NOW.
The Appalachian Parents Association provided a $700 grant for the
event. Buttons and signs were provided for attendees. Protesters
boasted signs with slogans in bold letters saying, “People Unite, Take
Back the Night” and “For our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.
Men Against Rape.”
After the march, protesters gathered in I.G. Greer Auditorium for a
rally to share personal experiences. For some victims, it was the first
time they were able to discuss their experiences publicly.
To raise awareness for “Take Back the Night,” NOW sponsored “The
Clothesline Project.” Sexual assault victims decorate shirts of every
color with slogans in protest of sexual assault. This is a national
project Boone has sponsored since 1992.
Shirts were hung on clotheslines strung between trees from one end of Sanford Mall to the other.
“The idea is hanging out your dirty laundry because these kinds of things should never be kept in the closet,” said Hyatt.
After the rally, protesters and victims were encouraged to paint shirts. Shirts and paint were provided free of cost.
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments